<\/p>\n
By Indiana Pacers Sports & Entertainment\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n MUNCIE, IN\u2014<\/b>As part of the 16th\u00a0annual statewide Big Toy Giveaway, Pacers Sports & Entertainment and JAKKS Pacific Toys teamed up with the Muncie Police Department on Tuesday to provide toys to local families and children in need.<\/p>\n The toy distribution event took place Tuesday at\u00a0Muncie\u00a0Central High School and children enjoyed appearances by the Indiana Pacers mascot, Boomer, Indiana Fever mascot, Freddy Fever and the Pacemates.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a 44-year Pacers season ticket holder, I\u2019m thrilled to see Pacers Sports & Entertainment and JAKKS Pacific bringing their Big Toy Giveaway to Muncie,\u201d said Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour. \u201cTheir commitment to spreading joy and supporting kids in our community is truly inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe Big Toy Giveaway reflects the ongoing commitment our department \u2014 and our community at large \u2014 has to supporting Muncie\u2019s kids,\u201d said Muncie Police Department Deputy Chief Melissa Criswell. \u201cWe\u2019re proud to be part of it, and we\u2019re grateful to the Family Resource Center and Pacers Sports & Entertainment for helping make this possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Since its launch in 2009, the Big Toy Giveaway has been fueled by the generosity of Stephen Berman, founder and CEO of JAKKS Pacific Toys, and his long-standing friendship with Herb Simon, owner of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. The annual statewide effort has delivered hundreds of thousands of toys to Hoosier children through a network of more than 100 community partners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cStephen has brought joy to countless Hoosier children over the years, creating memories that last a lifetime,\u201d Simon said. \u201cHis generosity and commitment to this program year after year continues to make an extraordinary impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis annual holiday tradition began with friendship and grew into something much bigger,\u201d Berman said. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor for JAKKS Pacific Toys to work alongside the Pacers Sports & Entertainment family to help bring holiday cheer to kids and families who need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This month, PS&E and JAKKS Pacific Toys are partnering with local nonprofits to distribute toys through a series of in-person events throughout the state bringing together local officials, Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever personalities, and other special guests. Toy giveaway events are also scheduled in Bloomington, Indianapolis, Knightstown, Noblesville, Plymouth and Vincennes.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n About Pacers Sports & Entertainment<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pacers Sports & Entertainment is the corporate identity exemplified by the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, Noblesville Boom, Pacers Foundation, Inc., and Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Its team of inspired and dedicated employees promises to deliver quality entertainment and unparalleled service.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.munciejournal.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Indiana Pacers Sports & Entertainment\u2014 MUNCIE, IN\u2014As part of the 16th\u00a0annual statewide Big Toy Giveaway, Pacers Sports & Entertainment and JAKKS Pacific Toys teamed up with the Muncie Police Department on Tuesday to provide toys to local families and children in need. The toy distribution event took place Tuesday at\u00a0Muncie\u00a0Central High School and children […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2193954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2193953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Pacers-Sports-Entertainment-JAKKS-Pacific-Toys-Bring-16th-Annual-Big.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2193953"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2193955,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193953\/revisions\/2193955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2193954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2193953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2193953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2193953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}